CSUN women’s soccer loses on the road to Cal State Fullerton

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CSUN Women’s Soccer (4-4-4) fell to Cal State Fullerton 0-3 during the Big West Opener (8-2-2) on Sunday evening at Titan Stadium.

Marissa Favela and Cynthia Sanchez were the only Matadors who attempted a shot, both taking one shot each. The Titans outshot the Matadors for the match, 13- and posted a 6-1 edge in shots on goal and held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Cal State Fullerton came out aggressive as they were called for four fouls within the first 15 minutes of the game. Their all-out mentality eventually paid off as Samantha Koemans was able to cross a ball over to Tala Haddad who positioned herself near the top of the box and sent the ball past goalie Jovani McCaskill for her first goal of the season during the 19-minute mark.

CSUN would commit more fouls in the first half than shots attempted (6-0) and two of those fouls would result in yellow cards for Amber Edemann and Sydney Gilbert.

The Matadors couldn’t get anything going in the first half as they couldn’t keep possession of the ball and were then forced to play a more defensive game.

Looking to regroup in the second half, the Matadors once again came out slow while the Titans’ Kaycee Hoover found herself open for a header that was just wide within the first ten minutes. After committing a foul, the Titans took advantage of CSUN not getting back on defense, and Maribell Morales took a shot from the far left side of the field but was blocked by Jovani McCaskill.

With momentum seemingly on their side, McCaskill threw the ball out in a hurry, and the Matadors found themselves in a fast-break situation. Marissa Favela pushed the ball down the middle and appeared she would put CSUN on the scoreboard as she beat her defenders and took a shot, but was saved by the Titans’ Morgan Bertsch.

With the Matadors unable to capitalize on any opportunities, the Titans looked to put more pressure on CSUN to score. Samantha Koemans took a shot in the 72nd minute but was blocked out of bounds by Jovani McCaskill. The ball was then centered to the box which McCaskill misplaced, and Jazzmin Mancilla was able to easily tap it in for her first goal of the season.

CSUN’s fight for the ball was less evident as Cal State Fullerton gained possession and ultimately took the Matadors hopes away of a comeback with a header goal by Haley Brown after a lob down the middle of the field during the 72nd minute.

Cynthia Sanchez would continue to fight and show why she’s one of the leaders on the team and in the 80th minute she found herself with the ball in front of the goal but couldn’t connect as her shot fell wide. CSUN would end the game with a yellow card, and their heads held low losing 3-0.

CSUN looks to regroup at home against UC Santa Barbara on October 5th.